“No, don’t go!” Masmi called out and failed to stifle a chuckle. “You won’t get what you wanted from this conversation. Your cubs just arrived to speak with you.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Selena
"Is something the matter, Lady Masmi?"
My heart clenched as my silver-furred daughter stopped beside the Aldawi princess. Standing about a head shorter, she appeared to be a miniature version of her aunt as they were draped in matching outfits.
They were dressed in a purple fabric similar to the nightgowns that I loved, wearing a feminine combination of a bikini and a loincloth, with a crisscross top equipped with a purple-jeweled, black-caped hood.
It was evident they were related. They sported similar coloring and markings on their fur coats. Meti’s silver was a close enough shade to the Darcaw gray, that I could barely notice the difference as they stood beside each other, outside of the slight shimmer the sun gave it.
It was evident Meti belonged in the same royal line as much as Masmi did. Their appearance was so alike that it pained me to see them together.
Masmi could claim Meti was her daughter and no one would have doubted her.
"Zirene wouldn't allow such a thing to happen,"Xylo soothed."It's natural for offspring to inherit characteristics from the dominant traits that appear within the same family lines. Your body was made to adapt, which means any children you have will appear similar to their sire. All of your cubs carry silver markings, tying them to you, their mother."
"That may be true, but it still hurts to be reminded that I am not the same species as them."
"While your feelings are justified, don't allow them to cloud this crucial moment. Your cubs have missed you as much as we have."
Breathing in, I let out a deep sigh as I tried to calm myself.
Odelm grabbed my hand, and I instantly felt the familiar pulses of calmness radiate from his fingertips. An echo of another wave of tranquil sensations poured over me from V'dim as he tried to assist his Ulax nestbrother in taking care of me.
"We are here for you,"Z'fir assured. The tone of his mental voice reminded me of the unwavering support that my mates had always shared with me. "You can always depend on us, as we do you."
"Your mother wants to speak with you." Masmi grinned, backing away from the screen.
My twin sons pushed their sister out of the way as they squeezed themselves around her, making Meti front and center. Seeing the three of them all lined up, bright-eyed with wide smiles on their faces, brought a new wave of tears to my eyes.
Xylo is right.
They are perfect—and mine.
"Ma!" Meti shouted. "We’ve missed you!”
“Mentor Pavryn explained to us what happened,” Nocrez said as his deep blue-green eyes scanned the nestroom. “Father confirmed that he challenged his sire to defend you and claimed Sovereign.”
“It’s true,” I hedged, not knowing how much they were told about the incident. “And it took some time for Kaede to find me and bring me back to Destima just in time to save your clanfathers.”
“How many did he have to kill?” Neazzos asked, failing to hide the excitement in his voice. “Did he slay those who had captured you and blow up their base as he flew away?”
“Did he use his vibro-blade?” Nocrez added, waving his fisted hands in the air in a mock battle. “Or maybe his dual pistols?” Extending two fingers pressed together, he made ‘pew pew’ noises as he pretended to shoot random unseen targets.
“No, Kaede would’ve gone for the throat as Mentor Pavryn taught us.” Meti smiled with a toothy grin and shoved her brothers, forcing them to back up and allow her room between them.
My sons let out a low growl as their ears pinned back in warning. Meti puffed her chest and gave a warning hiss to her brothers, instantly silencing their complaints as their ears flicked in annoyance. As if nothing had happened, Meti smiled sweetly and stared at us, waiting for a reply.
“He didn’tkillanything,” I stressed, not knowing how to respond to what just happened between my cubs. Glancing up at Zirene, from the grin on his face, it appeared that he saw nothing was wrong with their short display of aggression. “That doesn’t mean he didn’t want to.”
“How did he do it?” Neazzos asked, searching the room with the same color eyes as my own, and locked on the male in question. “How did you save my ma?”
“Your ma is very persuasive,” Kaede chuckled, crossing his arms as he shot a heated glance at me. I didn’t miss the teasing twinkle in his eyes before he turned away. “She did the task they asked her to in exchange for her freedom… Only they didn’t know that I was almost to their base. When I arrived, they had no excuse to keep her and knew if they retaliated, I would’ve ended them. Their base was barely able to handle the number of members it had, and with no defenses other than the twin commanders and their handful of support ships, there was no way they could attempt to prevent us from leaving.”
Meti leaned forward until there was nothing before her face in the display as her amethyst eyes narrowed on Kaede.
